


Perfectly Dysfunctional

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Graphic Violence, more tags will be needed as necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:27:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1706468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Graham and Frederick Chilton find comfort in each other after Hannibal leaves their lives in ruins.</p><p>Takes place after the season 2 finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Frederick Chilton was lounging on his sofa, enjoying a glass of wine while the nightly news played on his television screen, although he wasn’t really watching it. It was storming outside, and he could hear the pounding of the rain against his roof and windows, tensing slightly at the occasional clap of thunder. He stretched out on the sofa, and took a sip of wine, when he heard a knocking noise. He frowned, and lowered the glass a little, listening. Just as he decided it was his imagination, the knocking happened again, this time louder, and he realized someone was at his door. He groaned as he sat up, placing his glass gingerly on the table, grabbed his cane, and walked towards his front door. Throwing a quick glance at the clock, he frowned at how late it was, and wondered why someone was disturbing him at this hour. Frederick opened the door to find a very wet Will Graham.

Frederick’s mouth fell open in disbelief, but then his he frowned and before he realized what was happening, his fist collided with the side of Will’s mouth, sending him reeling backwards. Will staggered a little, and he raised his hand to gently touch where Frederick had punched him. His lip was cut and was slowly leaking blood. He looked at Frederick incredulously. 

“That’s for calling Jack Crawford,” Frederick yelled as he shook his hand. Will’s face was harder than he would’ve imagined. Frederick frowned at Will and then huffed, taking a step back and gesturing to the inside of his house. “Come inside before you catch a cold.”

Will raised an eyebrow, but walked inside anyways. Frederick took a deep breath and shut the door before turning around. Will was standing in the middle of his foyer, and Frederick frowned as he noticed that he was dripping water all over his freshly clean floors. 

“Let me get you a towel before you cause water damage,” Frederick said, not bothering to hide the coldness in his voice. 

Frederick grabbed a towel from his linen closet and handed it to Will, who took it slowly. “Thanks,” Will said quietly as he started drying off his hair. Frederick stood in front of him, and observed.

“Your lip is bleeding,” Frederick noted. Will’s tongue shot out to touch the wound gently, and Frederick’s eyes watched the movement. Will laughed dryly and looked at Frederick.

“That happens sometimes after someone punches you in the face,” he said, with no hint of humor in his voice. “I’ve had worse. I’ll be fine.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, not saying anything. Frederick fiddle with the metallic handle of his cane and Will continued in his efforts to try and dry himself off. Frederick cleared his throat.

“What are you doing here, Will?” he asked after a moment. Will paused, and let his hands drop a little. He looked up at Frederick, who was shocked to see how vulnerable he looked.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about Abigail,” Will finally said. “I have my dogs, you know, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind, and my house was too silent. I… I didn’t want to be alone, and I didn’t know where else to go. You’re the only person I can really trust at this point.”

Frederick found himself at a loss for words. He was surprised to learn that Will actually trusted him, especially after Frederick had done to him in the hospital, the way he had treated him. He cleared his throat after a moment and gestured towards his pristine couch. 

“Would you like to sit down?” he asked. Will nodded and moved to sit down, and Frederick winced as he did so. His couch was leather, and Will’s clothes were still soaking, but he tried his best to ignore his annoyance as he sat at the opposite end.

Will let the towel drop to his lap, and Frederick noticed him staring at the half full wine glass that was sitting on the coffee table. Frederick stood up and swiftly walked to his kitchen, pulling another glass down from his cabinet, and filling it with a generous amount of wine before returning to the living room. He offered the glass to Will, who took it graciously. Frederick watches as Will takes a long drink from the glass, and couldn’t help but notice the way Will’s throat moved as he swallowed.

“I have a guest bedroom that you can use tonight, if you wanted,” Frederick said quietly. “I wouldn’t feel right letting you drive back to Wolf Trap after you’ve been drinking, especially in this storm.” 

Will nodded, and lowered the glass, which was now half-empty. He looked at Frederick and smiled a little. “Thank you, Frederick,” he said quietly. Frederick noticed Will’s eyes look briefly at the still healing wound on his cheek, and he turned his head sharply.

“I truly am sorry about what happened, Frederick. If I had known the extent to which Hannibal went to frame you, I never would’ve called Jack. I wish I could take it all back,” Will said. Frederick felt Will’s hand on his shoulder. He moved slightly, letting Will’s hand fall to the couch beside him, and looked at Will.

“I came to you in my time of need, and you turned me in. I’m still… I don’t know how I feel about it yet, and I don’t know if I forgive you yet,” he said, standing up. Will stood up too, and his expression suddenly grew stormy.

“Have you suddenly forgotten what you did to me in the hospital? How you treated me like a slab of meat to be psychoanalyzed instead of actually trying to help me?” Will said, his voice rising with every word. 

“At least that didn’t end with you being shot in the face,” Frederick replied coldly. Will didn’t say anything to that, and instead looked to the ground. “I’m going to bed. The guest bedroom is upstairs. First door on the left.”

With that, Frederick walked out of the living room, leaving Will standing beside the coffee table. He limped his way upstairs, and slammed his bedroom door behind him. After changing into his night clothes, he looked at himself in the mirror. The wound on his cheek was healing nicely, but it was still an angry red beacon against his skin. He was ashamed of it, although he wore it like a badge of honor around his colleagues. It was another example of what he could survive, but he still felt their stares and heard their whispers. He had fallen even more out of grace within the psychiatric community. Now he was not only the doctor who had been accused of psychic driving, but one that was accused of murder and cannibalism. He shook his head and looked away from the mirror, turning off the light and going to bed.

When Frederick woke up the next morning, Will was gone. Frederick grumbled to himself as he got dressed. As he walked towards the stairs, he peaked into the guest bedroom, he noticed that the bed had been neatly made up again, and the towel that he had given Will was folded neatly at the end. Something inside of Frederick tugged a little bit at the memory of seeing Will soaking wet and looking completely lost on his front steps, but he shook it off and continued on his way down the stairs. 

In the kitchen, there was a fresh pot of coffee brewing, and Frederick realized that Will must’ve started it before he left for him. Frederick made himself a cup and breathed in the warmth, taking a sip. He wanted to apologize to Will, not only for what he had said the night before, but also for how he had treated him in the hospital. He looked at his watch, and realized it was time to leave for the hospital. As Frederick was leaving, he resolved to drive to Will’s house after work and try to make peace with him. Will did truly try to help him, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick and Will make peace with each other.

The day crawled by as Frederick sat at his desk, trying to read over a case file. He had made his rounds with his inmates, trying to goad them into letting him peak inside their minds. Will’s words from the previous nights were still stuck in the back of his mind throughout the day, and he was finding it hard to concentrate. He glanced at his watch. The drive from Baltimore to Wolf Trap was only an hour, but he would hit DC right at rush hour if he left now. Frederick nodded to himself, gathered up the file, and stood from his desk. He got his stuff together, and left the office, locking the door behind him. He got in his car, threw his briefcase into the passenger seat, and started the ignition. Frederick looked at his watch again. By the time he got there, it would be past his normal dinnertime, and Frederick doubted Will would be gracious enough to offer him something to eat. Even if he did, it was unlikely that he would have anything Frederick could eat, due to his dietary limitations. 

An hour and a half later, Frederick pulled his Jaguar into Will’s drive-way and turned off the engine. He remembered the last time he was here, covered in the blood of two dead FBI agents, planning on leaving the country. Frederick hesitated in getting out, trying to decide if this was really the best idea. However, when Will’s front door opened, and his pack of dogs came running out with Will close behind, and the decision was made for him. He got out of his car, and reached back in to grab the bag of Greek take-out that he had gotten before heading out. Will’s dogs surrounded him, much like they did on the last time he was here, but now they were sniffing curiously at his bag of food, rather than his bloodstained clothes.

Will raised his hand in greeting as Frederick closed the door. “Hello, Frederick,” Will said as he got closer. He glanced down at the bag in Frederick’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “You brought food?”

Frederick nodded curtly, toying with his keys. “Well, I wanted to talk to you, and I haven’t eaten yet, so I stopped on the way,” he said. After a moment, he added, “I brought some for you, too, in case you were hungry.”

Will nodded appreciatively and turned, extending his arm back towards his house. “Come on inside, then,” he said. Frederick started walking and Will followed him, whistling for his dogs. They obediently complied, following the two of them as they enter the house.

Frederick stood awkward in the kitchen, holding the paper bag to his chest, as Will set out some plates and glasses. He glances towards Frederick, and smiled. 

“You can sit down, you know, you don’t have to just stand there,” he said as he turned to the fridge and opened it. He brought out two bottles of beer, and offered one to Frederick as he sat down at the table. Frederick took it hesitantly, not really a big beer fan, but also not wanting to ask for anything else.

“Thank you,” Frederick said. He placed the bottle on the table, and opened the bag. “I, um, didn’t know want you wanted, so I just got two vegetarian wraps. They’re quite good.” Frederick put one of the wraps on Will’s plate, watching him cautiously.

Will nodded and took a long swig from his beer. “Thank you, Frederick,” he said, taking the paper off the wrap slowly. Frederick watched as Will brought it to his mouth, and took a bite, nodding in approval after chewing. Frederick felt relief wash over him, and started on his own wrap.

After a few more minutes of silently eating, Will finally cleared his throat. “I assume you didn’t drive all the way here just to bring me dinner?” he asked.

Frederick nodded, and wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “I wanted to apologize,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. He grimaced at the bitter taste. “Not just for last night, though. You were right when you said I should’ve treated you better while you were under my care, and I’m sorry that I let my… Professional curiosity get in the way of actually helping you.”

Will nodded, and Frederick cleared his throat. “Also, I’m sorry for punching you. That was uncalled for,” he added quickly, his eyes glancing up to the small cut present on Will’s lower lip. Will smiled and looked up at Frederick.

“I forgive you, Frederick. For punching me,” Will said. Frederick’s heart dropped a little, but Will continued. “And for the other thing. You were one of the first people who believed me about Hannibal. You believed me before Jack did, and I am grateful for that.”

Frederick nodded and smiled. He felt a weight push on his lap, and he looked down to see one of Will’s dogs laying its head on his leg, looking up at him with its big, brown eyes.

“Winston, no, stop begging,” Will said, but Frederick stopped him.

“It’s fine,” he said, scratching Winston behind his ear. “He’s fine.”

After dinner, Will and Frederick were sitting on the couch with the TV playing softly in the background. Will had broken out a bottle of whiskey, and the two of them were sharing it in a peaceful silence. There was a dog sitting between them, a big, white fluffy thing, and Frederick was absentmindedly petting it as he sipped his whiskey. He turned his head towards Will, who was looking forward at the TV. Frederick admired him, and not only for his mind. Frederick had been attracted to men a couple times in his life, and he wasn’t ashamed of that aspect of himself. Will was quite handsome and Frederick couldn’t help but stare at his exquisite profile. He reminded him of a classical Greek or Roman sculpture. 

Will must’ve sensed Frederick looking at him, because he turned his head and locked eyes with Frederick. This took Frederick aback, surprised by the confidence that the man had gained since he was incarcerated in Frederick’s hospital. Frederick felt his cheeks heating up as he was caught staring, and quickly looked away, taking a sip of his whiskey. He glanced back quickly at Will. The man had a slightly confused look on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed and the corners of his lips were turned down slightly, but he was still watching Frederick. 

Frederick’s hand was still buried in the dog’s fur, but he felt the soft touch of Will’s fingertips on the back of his hand. He yanked his hand away quickly and stood up, finishing his drink quickly. 

“I- I should get going, it’s late and I have a long drive ahead of me,” Frederick stammered as he stood up. Will stood as well, and looked at Frederick curiously.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” he asked.

Frederick nodded frantically. “Yes, yes I am fine. I only had two drinks, I’m not impaired in the slightest,” Frederick’s words flew out of his mouth at an alarming speed, and he wondered to himself why Will suddenly had this effect on him. He placed his glass down on the coffee table, and grabbed his jacket from the couch where he had thrown it hours ago. He pushed his arms through the sleeves, and pulled it up on his shoulders, yanking it hard.

Will stood up at this point, and took both of their glasses to the kitchen, setting them in the sink. He turned around and smiled at Frederick, leading him towards the door. Frederick followed, gripping his cane tightly, concentrating on his footsteps.

“Thank you for dinner and your company tonight, Frederick,” Will said softly as he opened the front door. “Please don’t hesitate to come by again when you have the chance.”

Frederick nodded and put on his most genuine smile. “Thanks for the offer, Mr. Graham,” he said, walking out the door. “Hopefully we’ll see each other again. Hopefully sometime soon.” He turned around and winced at what he had just said. He sounded like a desperate high schooler, begging for a date. He walked quickly towards his car, and got in, shoving his cane into the passenger seat. He let out a loud sigh as he closed the door, and let his head fall onto the steering wheel. He accidentally hit the horn, startling himself as it went off. The dogs started barking from inside Will’s house, and Frederick glanced up at the porch. Will was standing beneath the light, his arms crossed over his chest. Frederick was far enough away to where he couldn’t clearly see the younger man’s face, but it looked like Will was smiling. Frederick groaned and turned the ignition on, and quickly backed out of Will’s driveway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will can't sleep, and goes to visit Frederick again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try writing from Will's perspective, which was kinda weird.

Will jolted awake from his nightmare, his shirt drenched with sweat and sticking to his skin. He looked around, trying to get a grasp on reality. He was in his bed, in his house. His dogs were all sleeping on the floor, except for Winston, of course. His ears were perked up and he was looking at Will, his head tilted a little. Will looked at him, and Winston’s tail wagged a few times, thumping lightly against the floor. 

“It’s okay, Winston,” Will said quietly. The sound of his voice made a few more ears perk up, and he groaned quietly to himself as some of the other dogs started waking. He cupped his face in his hands, and leaned forward, trying to steady his breathing.

He had dreamt about Abigail again. Every time it was the same. He was so close to saving her, but she always slipped through his fingers. He would wake up, and for a moment, he felt safe knowing it was just a dream, before the crushing guilt washed back over him like a tidal wave. He promised he would protect her, but he let her down, twice.

Will swung his legs over the side of his bed, realizing that he wasn’t going to be getting any more sleep that night. He leaned into his hands again, massaging his temples, and tried to will the image of a bleeding, dying Abigail out of his mind. He felt a soft, wet nudge against his knee, and looked down to see Winston staring at him. He let out a whine, and put his paw on Will’s leg. Will smiled and scratched behind Winston’s ear before standing up. He stretched, allowing his tense muscles to feel some relief, and then padded slowly into his kitchen, Winston trailing behind him. 

Will set to work making some coffee, and sat in the chair while it started to brew. Winston sat next to him, and whined again.

“What?” Will asked, leaning down to pat Winston’s head. The dog barked sharply, causing Will to jump. “Quiet! You’ll wake the others.”

Winston whined again, and Will just sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. He paused and looked over at the telephone. He glanced back at the clock. It was only 10pm, not incredibly late. He looked back at Winston, who’s ear perked up. Will sighed and picked up the phone, dialing a number that he didn’t realize he had memorized.

The phone rang a few times before the other end finally picked up. “Hello?” Frederick’s voice was groggy, and Will instantly felt guilty for waking the man.

“Hello?” Frederick said again, annoyance evident in his voice.

“Uh, hi, Frederick. It’s Will. Did I wake you up?”

“Will? What- Um, no, you’re fine, I wasn’t really sleeping. Is there something wrong?”

Will scratched his head and looked at Winston, who tilted his head at him. “No, I was… I was wondering if I could come over.”

“Will, it’s 10 o’clock at night.”

“I know, it’s just… I had a nightmare, and I couldn’t sleep.” Frederick didn’t respond to that, and Will suddenly regretted calling him. “Look, I’m sorry I woke you up, this was a stupid idea. I’ll let you-”

“No, no, it’s fine. Um, yeah, you can come over.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just drive carefully.”

“Alright, thanks. I’ll, um, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Will hung up the phone and dropped it loudly on the table. He groaned and buried his face in his hands. He was such an idiot. Why did he call him? Why did he ask if he could come over? He probably sounded like a fucking nutjob. But Frederick had agreed, and Will felt a familiar tightness in his stomach as he thought about what that could mean. He felt Winston’s paw on his leg again, and looked down at the dog. His ears were perked and his head was tilted, and Will couldn’t help but smile and pat his head. Will stood from the chair and walked over to where he had thrown the clothes he was wearing earlier. He quickly got changed, and looked back at his coffee, suddenly remembering that he made some. He poured some into a mug, and patted Winston’s head one more time before heading out the door.

Less than an hour later, Will was once again on Frederick’s doorstep. He recalled the last time he was here, and rubbed his mouth softly. He rang the doorbell, and winced at how loud it was, even from the outside. He should’ve knocked. There was some shuffling coming from inside, and the curtains beside the door shifted a little before the door opened. Frederick stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. He was wearing pajama pants and a white undershirt, and his normally pristine hair was disheveled. Will felt another pang of guilt when he realized how tired Frederick look.

“Mr. Graham,” Frederick said simply, taking a step to the side and allowing Will to enter. He closed the door, and turned to look at Will. 

“Frederick,” Will replied, nodding in his direction. “I’m sorry about waking you, I shouldn’t have come.”

Frederick shrugged and shook his head. “Well, you’re here now, so no point lamenting it. Would you like coffee? Or tea?” Frederick asked, leading the way to his kitchen.

“Actually, if you have chamomile, that’d be great,” Will said, rubbing his eyes. The cup of coffee that he had drank on the way over did nothing help his tiredness. Frederick nodded, and grabbed a box from the cupboard before filling the kettle with water, and putting it on the stovetop. He got down two mugs from the cabinet, and set them gently on the counter. He then turned his attention back to Will, leaning against the countertop.

“You had a dream about Abigail?” he asked. Will nodded. “Does this happen often?”

“It’s been occurring more lately. It’s like the further we get from finding… Finding him, the guiltier I feel about failing her,” Will said. He walked around to where Frederick was standing, and stood beside him, but not looking at him.

“You think you failed her?” Frederick asked. Will looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Please don’t try to analyze me, Dr. Chilton,” Will spat out. Frederick raised his hands defensively.

“I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Will said. He heard Frederick sigh beside him as the tea kettle started whistling. Frederick took it off the stove, and pour water into the two mugs. He pushed one towards Will. Will looked down at it, and watched as the water slowly turned dark as the tea steeped.

“What do you want to talk about, then?” Frederick asked. Will shrugged and looked at Frederick. He was casually leaning against the counter, facing Will, his fingers idly playing with the little paper tab hanging over the mouth of his mug.

An overwhelming urge to be closer to him suddenly came over Will. He cupped Frederick’s face with his hands, and pushed him back against the counter, keeping him in place by pressing their hips together. Frederick let out a surprised squeak and dropped his cane as Will pushed their lips together. Suddenly Frederick’s fingers were in Will’s hair, pulling him closer, and he was kissing him back. Will’s hands moved down to Frederick’s lower back, and he heard the older man let out a small gasp when he pushed his hands underneath his shirt. Will’s mouth left Frederick’s, and travelled down to his neck. He sucked and bit down gently at his pulse point, relishing the moan that escaped from Frederick. Will shoved his knee in between Frederick’s thighs, causing him to gasp sharply and tug at Will’s hair. 

“Will,” Frederick breathed out. He put his hands against Will’s chest, and pushed gently. Will looked up at him, confused. “I don’t think this is the best idea right now.”

“You seemed to like it a second ago,” Will replied, his hands gripping Frederick’s waist, his fingers dipping beneath the waistband of his pajama pants.

“No, I- I do like it, it’s just,” Frederick sighed. “Are you doing this because you actually want to, or because you need something to distract you from Abigail?”

“I want this, Frederick,” Will said, leaning back to kiss Frederick’s neck again. “I want you.”

Frederick let out a groan and pushed Will away again. He pulled down his shirt from where it had ridden up, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, then, I think we should… We should wait. Just to make sure, because I don’t want to be just some distraction,” he explained. Will dropped his hands to his sides in defeat and nodded.

“Fine. Do you want me to leave?” Will asked, gesturing towards the door.

Frederick shook his head. “No. I want you to drink your tea, and then I want you to get some sleep,” Frederick told him, nodding to the forgotten mugs on the counter. Will nodded and picked his up, taking a sip and relishing the warmth that filled his body.

After they finished their tea, Frederick showed Will to the guest bedroom where he had stayed the other night. Will stood in the empty room, glaring at the bed. He pulled off his jeans and his button-up shirt, and crawled underneath the covers. He tried to go to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, images of Abigail filled his mind. After a few more minutes, he huffed loudly and threw off the covers. 

Will opened the bedroom door, and looked down the hallway towards Frederick’s room. He bit his lip and left the room. He knocked on Frederick’s door softly, and heard a muffled “come in” from inside. He opened it, and saw Frederick sitting up in bed. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Will let his eyes wander down Frederick’s naked torso before the other man cleared his throat. Will’s eyes snapped back up to Frederick, and he felt his cheeks flush. “I, um, I couldn’t sleep,” Will said simply.

After a moment, Frederick shifted a little one side of his bed, and patted the other side. “Come on, then,” he said.

Will quickly walked to the bed, and got under the covers. “Thank you,” he said quietly, rolling to his side, facing away from Frederick. He felt the bed movement, and jumped a little when Frederick’s arm wrapped around his middle. Frederick pulled Will close to his body, and pressed his nose against the back of Will’s neck.

“You’re not the only one who has trouble sleeping,” Frederick replied, and Will shivered as he felt Frederick’s breath against the back of his neck. Will smiled a little to himself, closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm still working out this whole thing, and I really have no idea where I'm going with it yet, but hopefully you guys like it so far?? I'm sorry it was really kinda angsty??? Oh well.


End file.
